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Multiday Adventure Race Canoe - Composite

Muddyfeet, I'm not a builder so I don't usually follow building threads that closely, but yours has been fascinating because the hull is such a Frankendesign. Great work.
 
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Like I said before Wow wow wow... Really impressive!! I'm sure when she's loaded up with gear its initial stability will improve drastically!!
Super clean work.
 
A rocket for sure. The other competitors better look out.
I can't help but think of Verlen Kruger and his son in law Clint Wadell when they paddled across Canada in their 20 foot hand made cedar canoe.
They stopped in Flin Flan, Manitoba for the big canoes races after having paddled for months every day to get there.
They got smoked by the locals that grew up with a paddle in their hands.
Everytime I think I know what I am doing, I meet someone that is really skilled, that pushes the envelope.
Canoeing is a set of simple skills that takes a lifetime to perfect.
 
Everytime I think I know what I am doing, I meet someone that is really skilled, that pushes the envelope.
Canoeing is a set of simple skills that takes a lifetime to perfect.

Thats truth, right there! There’s no better reality check than to paddle next to someone who knows what they’re doing! I’m a rockstar early mornings solo on the river, but seeing other paddlers (twice my age) pull away from me (while making it look easy) always takes me down a few pegs!
 
Went out tonight after dark (no wind) and kept the average speed above 6mph for an hour. Fastest I’ve ever gone in a canoe. So I bet if I didn’t spend so much time building, and more time paddling- I could really get the pace up there. I’m excited to see how this boat will push personal fitness goals in the next few years.
 
I finished the spray cover and the rest of the trimmings.
The cover is a 2.2oz nylon with a hexagonal ripstop pattern and waterproof polyurethane coating on the backside. It fits over the tent-pole coaming and snaps on to the hull. The snaps came from sailrite and the male sides are riveted to the hull with backing washers. It can go on/be removed in a few seconds. There are deck bungees that fit both single and double blade paddle to stow them for a quick portage. Each paddle can also be stashed underneath the cover in the skinny bow: the single has a sleeve that the blade fits into on the underside of the cover while the double (wing) sits on the floor. I designed and printed a small bracket for it to bungee in place.

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The forward thwart has a mount I printed for my inreach/gps, and a grosgrain strap to hang onto when portaging. I epoxied a small piece of PVC in the bow and drilled it through. To make a carry handle that stays out of the way, I dug into the hammock sewing scrap bag: I fed a small piece of shock cord inside some 7/64 amsteel rope, and tied it through the bow.

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All my landings in composite boats are wet: the boat never touches the shore; so with wet feet and splashes, I tend to collect some bilge water. The sharper v-shape of this boat seems to accentuate it and I noticed a small puddle that develops in the center. So I made a small 20x30 'hammock' for my pack to sit in. It is attached with bungees and clips and doesn't hang anything: the pack rests on the bottom of the boat, it is just a barrier to keep my pack from soaking up the puddle.

I took the tightening knob off of the yoke and replaced it with a quick-release from a bicycle fork.

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I was going to put a picture of a dragonfly on the bow, and printed some to check size before ordering a sticker. I stared at it awhile before I realized the absurdity of having a honeycomb pattern featuring a completely different insect. So I just ordered a text sticker instead!

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I can't help think the guys making Production boats are saying WOW ! Just like me, WOW !

The camlock on the yoke is quick ! Great trick !

That is a very unique yoke ! How will it store while paddling ?

An idea, if I can explain it ?

First remove the seat ! Make your yoke fold aft, pivoting at the contact point, where you have it mounted now, in front of your seat, near the cam bolt.

As it is folded aft. permanently mount your seat the those tubes.. With the seat mounted to the tubes of your yoke, the pads would be behind you, your seat would be level.

When you were ready to portage, just fold the yoke forward. That would tilt the seat to vertical, and out of the way.

A quick cam buckle lever, and you are locked in !

I know my description might not be clear to you !

Your seat and yoke would pivot on the front of the Pedestal seat frame, on two simple hinges.

In essence, you go from sitting to portage yoke with a simple flip. Fast ! Vise a Versa.

Now I'm going to have to build a Pedestal seat for one of my canoes !

Give it some thought ?

Nice Paddle mount ! You really have things thought out !

Jim
 
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Holy molly that is impressive... But where do you put the moose in there? Seriously al fun and giggle until you need to pack a moose out and then what?
Really impressive built!! Maybe one day we will se you up here to do the Yukon River Quest solo!!
 
Wow, unbelievable build for a first-of-class!

What are you planning for dewatering the boat if it gets a big splash (barge wake or similar)? Seems like many "Texas style" boats have electric bilge pumps, and I know those are legit for at least the Safari and 340. Up here in New England we have very strict rules and are required to remove bilge water with a thimble or a non-plastic straw. Also we never end sentences with prepositions.

Where do you plan to put your running lights?
 
Alright: posting about a month after the fact, but I used this boat to set a new solo time for the Border Route in September as part of the Watertribe Kruger Challenge. 84h 11m solo. Winds were mostly light, but also mostly from the Southeast. This is the Route Clint and Verlen did in 80h20m; taking both the Gold Portage from Rainy Lake, and the Dawson Portage into LaCroix. I think with just a little more training and more favorable winds I can catch them! The boat performed well, and I'm not sure there is much I'd change about the design. The hip flare, rudder, and spray deck were all great. It portaged light and fast. The wing paddle is a smaller one, but I had not trained enough with it, and even unfeathered- it gave my right wrist pretty bad tendonitis on day 3. I switched paddles often during the trip- maybe every 10-15 miles or as conditions dictated.

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Clint Waddell and his wife came up to Grand Portage for the finish. He saw my boat on top of the car and had all sorts of questions. He said it looked "pregnant". I got to paddle with him for a short bit on Lake Superior. We were awkwardly helping him (he's 84) down the bank and into the middle seat of a MN3, but the old racer crawled right back into the stern seat and began calling 'Hut"s! Pretty cool, and he looked like he had a lot of fun.

Now I have to decide what to do with the mold. I think I might infuse another hull for a friend. Perhaps I will make one for the Midwest mountaineering auction in the spring.
 
That is Way Cool !!

Wish I was young enough to take on such a Challenge !

As for the mold ? I'd definitely pop some more hulls out of it ! I think you really have something there !

You can count on seeing me at the MidWest auction !

Jim
 
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Have you been able to see the rudder bending while the boat is being paddled? It would be best if you could see it rather than just my description.

PS Wow what a boat.
 
So MuddyFeet, How many people comment on that nice hull of yours! Congrats on it working out so well! A very nice job and for the record I couldn't make a boat to save my life, last one I tried back in the early 90's leaked like a sieve and had more rocker then should be legal! Thanks for sharing your build and success in the race.
 
That canoe is absolutely stunning, and the attention to detail in the outfitting is as good and race-minded as I have ever seen. From taut spray deck with raised coming (looking at the first photos I thought it had become a decked canoe), to paddle storage to quick release yoke to bilge water platform to rudder (gawd bless a rudder).

Alright: posting about a month after the fact, but I used this boat to set a new solo time for the Border Route in September as part of the Watertribe Kruger Challenge. 84h 11m solo.

Obviously an efficient design. I know that potential or “cruising” hull speed matters, but so does the outfitting ease and race duration comfort.

Clint Waddell and his wife came up to Grand Portage for the finish. He saw my boat on top of the car and had all sorts of questions. He said it looked "pregnant". I got to paddle with him for a short bit on Lake Superior. We were awkwardly helping him (he's 84) down the bank and into the middle seat of a MN3, but the old racer crawled right back into the stern seat and began calling 'Hut"s! Pretty cool, and he looked like he had a lot of fun.

That seems as enjoyable as the finish time. I will probably never race again, but I miss some of the hearty old geezers commanding the stern of a racing canoe; I usually had a long look at their back as they passed by and slowly drew ahead in the distance.

Now I have to decide what to do with the mold. I think I might infuse another hull for a friend. Perhaps I will make one for the Midwest mountaineering auction in the spring.

I went back to the page 1 criteria; it looks like you hit all of your targets and then some. Surely you have some construuction and outfitting tweaks in mind. Don’t stop there.

Any thoughts on designing and rigging a small sail for other more open water adventure races?
 
Been awhile since this thread was last posted in. But I've been learning about canoe building and this thread was unbelievably helpful. Beautiful canoe and incredible detail work.

muddyfeet, you mentioned you are in MN? Whereabouts? If I find myself working on a composite canoe sometime, I might have questions to ask you over a beer or two.
 
Been awhile since this thread was last posted in. But I've been learning about canoe building and this thread was unbelievably helpful.

Mark, welcome to site membership! Feel free to ask any questions and to post messages, photos and videos in our many forums. Please read Welcome to CanoeTripping and Site Rules! Also, please consider adding your location to your profile, which will cause it to show under your avatar, as this is in many ways a geographic sport. We look forward to your participation in our canoe community.
 
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